The liquid nutritional industry, as well as the packaging industry in general, has long sought to provide improved packaging assemblies for retaining and distributing liquid products as well as a packaging device which as a component of a packaging assembly facilitates the stabilization of containers during shipment, the unitizing of containers for distribution, as well as an efficient device to assist in the distribution of such containers. This invention solves those long-felt needs. The packaging device may also be used for collecting empty containers or may be re-used with other similarly dimensioned containers.
Hospitals have encountered problems relating to the distribution of liquid products in plastic or glass containers to patients by medical personnel. These problems are particularly acute in the maternity area. For example, at one time, the feeding of newborn infants was the responsibility of the nursing staff. Now, however, it is a common practice to have the mothers feed their infants. This feeding of a liquid nutritional product is often accomplished by having hospital personnel distribute containers of liquid nutritional product to the mothers. This distribution may include the providing of multiple containers of food products to certain mothers. Additionally, specific dietary formulations, which may include medication, may be utilized. Still further, various feeding cycles may be involved in a maternity section of a hospital. Thus, for a variety of reasons it is desirable to be able to provide a number of bottles to the mothers of newborns for their use, as well as having a way to systematically identify those containers which have been customized as to their nutritional formulation.
Liquid nutritional products, such as infant formula or juice often are provided in containers of an individual serving size. These individual serving containers have typically been packaged in either a closed paperboard carton or in conjunction with a paperboard tray, which then along with the nutritional product containers is covered with a plastic film.
Unfortunately, once the plastic film has been removed or the closed, paperboard carton has been opened, significant problems arise concerning the retention and distribution of the containers. For example, once the plastic film is removed from a paperboard tray, the tray often does not have sufficient rigidity to hold the containers securely. The weight of the containers often causes the tray to bend, which may eventually result in the containers eventually falling from the tray. This is especially true during distribution of the containers, since it involves the carrying a plurality of containers in the tray at one time.
It is thus apparent that the need exists for an improved device for use in a packaging assembly for retaining and distributing containers of liquid product which permits an extremely effective packaging device to be formed while being sensitive to fabrication and raw material costs. It is also apparent that the need exists for a packaging device which functions as a means to stabilize containers during shipment, display containers while in inventory, distribute containers, and when desired permit the restorage of empty containers, with this packaging device also being able to permit organization with respect to the containers. It is also apparent that the above mentioned needs exist with respect to a variety of products such as nutritional products, soft drinks and even motor oil.
Similarly, with respect to the closed paperboard cartons, once a carton is opened for purposes of distribution of the containers, it often becomes difficult to ascertain how many containers are left to be distributed. Furthermore, after distribution of the product in the containers, if it is desired to collect the empty containers, an opened paperboard carton often precludes convenient re-storage of the empty containers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,749 teaches a mounting device for supporting a string of decorative lights, such as Christmas tree lights. The device comprises a platen-like strip with cutouts extending along and opening to the edges. However, the light bulbs and sockets are inserted into the cutouts endwise, with the openings at the side edges of the strip being slightly greater than the conducting cord of the string of lights.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,877 teaches a clip-type holder for toothbrushes or the like. The means for gripping the toothbrushes are pairs of prongs, but the device is intended for mounting on a wall or similar surface so there is no suggestion that there should be a second row of gripping means extending from the opposite side of the base strip. The use of a row of clip devices attached to a single side of a base strip is also taught in U.S. Pat. No. 2,466,195 for a "SHIRT AND TROUSER RACK" and U.S. Pat. No. 2,591,041 for a "DERBY AND MUTE RACK HOLDER".
U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,421 teaches a container holder having special utility during the process of bottling products. The central portion of the holding member is divided into several tongues and a central hole surrounded by these tongues is formed. However, there is no teaching in this patent that a number of containers may be retained by a single device.
One attempt to address the problems relating to the retention and distribution of containers, such as bottles, is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,677 issued to Schurmann. That patent discloses a molded plastic bottle holder wherein individual rib sections are provided for receiving respective necks of bottles. Each of the individual rib sections carry a number of segmental flexible lip members extending upwardly and inwardly to receive the neck of a bottle, with wedge shaped members carried by marginal portions of the flexible lip members so as to define an opening and add rigidity at the opening to facilitate removal of a bottle from the bottle holder while ensuring adequate gripping action during handling. That type of bottle holder has limitations with respect to the ease of distribution and subsequent optional re-storage. Additionally, the bottle holder as taught by Schurmann requires a relatively complex mold and a relatively large amount of plastic in order to suitably retain a plurality of containers.